The best electric razors for facial hair and grooming, tested and reviewed (2024)

How we tested the best electric shavers

We considered people with different hair types, grooming needs, and budgets when selecting razors to test and include in this buying guide. Although my hair type and personal grooming needs may not be the same as everyone else, each product in the guide was tested hands-on over the course of several months. I tested shavers for cutting efficiency, in-hand comfort and feel, battery life, and overall maintenance and care. Each razor was used to shave or trim, and every razor that was waterproof was used in the shower. Each shaver was also charged and cleaned as recommended. For razors that didn't specifically match my personal grooming needs, I used my expertise and experience testing dozens of razors over the years to determine if they would benefit others.

Best overall

As Braun's most advanced shaver to date, the Braun Series 9 Pro+ (9599cc) is a considerable upgrade to older Series 9 and Series 9 Pro models. Our over pick for one of the best electric shavers comes bundled with the SmartCare Center with a cleaning solution, a mobile charging PowerCase, a cleaning brush, and, for the first time ever, a ProComfort head to prep the face before shaving.

Even with all of the add-ons, the shaver itself is what makes the Braun Series 9 Pro+ such a powerful grooming tool. The cutting head consists of five separate parts —two OptiFoil shavers, a ProLift blade designed to lift hair, a Direct Blade designed to comb the hair in the same direction before cutting, and a skin guard. With 40,000 cutting motions per minute, auto-sensing technology, vibrating sonic technology, and the system provides a smooth and close shave, with minimal work prepping your face beforehand, whether your hair lays flat, stands up, or grows in different directions on different parts of your face.

To help contour to the shape of your face and neck, each part of the Braun Series 9 Pro+ head moves freely to comfortably contact your skin. You can also use the precision switch to lock the head in place at your desired position. The shaver is completely waterproof, so you can use it for wet or dry shaving.

The Braun Series 9 Pro+ includes an attached trimmer for detailing mustaches and beard lines. It's positioned on the back of the shaver, but extends high enough to see the blade while you're trimming. As someone who's not clean-shaven, the trimmer gets just as much use as the shaver head because the placement doesn't seem like an afterthought that's blocked by the shaver head. It's easy to use and will save you from having to use a separate grooming tool for trimming.

The new ProComfort head is another feature that has the potential to replace other grooming tools. pre-shave attachment that uses the shaver's sonic technology to gently exfoliate and lift beard hair. If you use a separate tool to prepare your beard before shave, this attachment can easily replace it.

The SmartCare Center isn't new to the Series 9 Pro+, but it's one of the most useful accessories. Not only is it a nice place to dock your shaver when it's not in use, but it also cleans, lubricates, dries, and charges the device.

My favorite upgrade on the Series 9 Pro+ is the mobile charging PowerCase. It's another safe place to store your shaver and automatically charges, extending the battery life to up to 6 weeks — or much longer if you don't shave frequently.

Best budget

The Braun Series 7 can "read" the density of your beard, automatically adjusting its power to give you the closest shave ever.

The Braun Series 7 (7085cc) replaces the older Braun Series 7 (7895cc) as our top overall pick for the best electric razors for men because of its dependability and a few key improvements. Like the previous generation, the Series 7 (7085cc) features Braun's AutoSense technology, which reads the density of your beard and automatically adjusts its power to provide a clean shave in one pass.

The biggest improvement in the design is the new 360° Flex Head shaver that contours to the curves of your face and neck. The new Series 7 (7085cc) feels effortless, even in hard-to-shave areas like your Adam's apple or jawline.

The new model (7085cc) also has a detachable trimmer that goes in place of the shaver, unlike the previous model (7895cc), which featured a slide-out trimmer on the front of the device. With the new design, the trimmer tool is placed at the top of the device so you can see exactly what you're doing. If you're having difficulty visualizing the difference between the two designs, see the side-by-side comparison here.

With 50 minutes of continuous shave time, the Braun Series 7 (7085cc)typically lasts three weeks on one charge — and when it does die, you can get enough battery power for a single shave with a 5-minute quick charge.

Like previous models, the Series 7 (7085cc) is also entirely waterproof, so you can bring it in the shower, use it with water and shaving cream, or rinse it off in the sink when you're done. — Amir Ismael

Read our full Braun Series 7 electric shaver review.

The 7071cc is the same as the 7085cc, except it doesn't include extra-length guard attachments.

Best rotary shaver

If you prefer shavers with rotary-style blades instead of linear foil shavers, Philips Norelco's S9000 Prestige is the most advanced option available and one of the best electric shavers we've tried.

While rotary shavers typically all feature three circular shavers, the S9000 Prestige packs a lot of performance in each one. In total, there are 72 self-sharpening blades that are designed to cut hair in any direction. The exterior of the rotary blades is designed to lift the hair, before the blades cut as close to the skin as possible. And with 165,000 cutting actions per minute, you can achieve a close shave in just one pass.

The S9000 Prestige does a great job at cutting hair, but it also prioritizes protecting the skin. The shaver head features up to 500,000 hydrophilic microbeads to help the device glide across your skin. By limiting snags, you'll experience less irritation after you shave. Much like most premium shavers, the S9000 Prestige has automatic beard-sensing technology, but I like that you can also manually adjust it using the + and - buttons on the device.

Featuring Philips Norelco's Ultraflex Suspension system, the S9000 Prestige has one of the most comfortable contouring technology I've tested, which is incredibly important for clean shaves. With the orientation of rotary shavers, the S9000 Prestige isn't good at shaving specific areas like below a beard line in the same way a foil shaver would. However, it comes bundled with a trimmer attachment. Rather than being built into the shaver, the rotary shaver can be removed and replaced with a trimmer for detailed grooming.

The S9000 Prestige also comes bundled with a clean and charge station. It's not as bulky as some of the other clean and charge stations I've used, so it looks great and doesn't take up too much space on your bathroom countertop.

Best high-end

The Panasonic ARC6 Electric Shaver is arguably the most advanced and premium shaver on the market. Replacing the previous generation ARC5, the ARC6 features massive improvements including a new head with six blades forged from high-grade Japanese stainless steel and a more powerful motor with 84,000 cross-cutting motions per minute.

With six blades —two finishing blades designed to cut hair at the base, two titanium-coated blades for long and thick stubble, and two lift blades to lift and cut hairs that lay flat — the Panasonic ARC6 has more blades than any electric shaver I've tested.

In addition to its premium blade design, the shaver head moves in 22 independent directions to ensure it stays contoured to your face and neck at all times. Its sophisticated design does a great job of limiting nicks and cuts, while delivering a close shave with one pass.

My beard doesn't grow incredibly fast or thick and I keep most of my facial hair, so I couldn't truly take advantage of the benefit of having such a powerful shaver. The auto-sensing technology increases or decreases power based on the density of the hair it's cutting, so I likely didn't use the full capacity of the motor, but I can see the value for men who either have thick beards or shave daily.

The ARC6 has an ergonomic design for in-hand comfort and a sleek matte finish. When turned on, a large LED screen displays useful information like battery percentage. The back side of the shaver includes an attached trimmer.

It comes bundled with a dock station that cleans, sanitizes, dries, and charges the shaver, a travel case, cleaning brush, and lubricating oil.

At just under $500, the Panasonic ARC6 is expensive, but it has the most blades, an incredibly powerful motor, comes with all the extras you need to maintain the device, and is engineered to perform with efficiency and precision.

Best for coarse hair

If you have coarse or curly hair, you've probably struggled to find products that make grooming comfortable. While even the best electric razors for men focus on getting the absolute closest cut possible, that's also usually the first step to unattractive, painful, or itchy razor bumps. Luckily, the Bevel Pro All-In-One Clipper and Trimmer solves that.

Founded in 2013, Walker and Company (Bevel's parent company) was created by Tristan Walker to cater to the grooming needs of people with coarse or curly hair. While that most directly applies to people of color, the brand's products are generally great for anyone who has sensitive skin.

Rather than using multiple blades that either cut hair below the surface of the skin or snag and pull on hair, the Bevel Trimmer Pro uses an adjustable blade to cut hair to the same level of the skin. Its blades are made of stainless steel and coated in graphite to reduce drag and maintain its sharpness. At the touch of a button, you can adjust the blade gap from 0mm to 2.5mm in 0.1mm increments.

If you've ever used a trimmer that required a lot of downward pressure to effectively cut hair, the Bevel is far from that. The Bevel Pro is extremely precise and sharp. As someone with coarse facial hair who's prone to razor bumps when shaving, I got the best results adjusting the blade to a few tenths of a millimeter away from no gap. We love it so much that we named it one of our top picks in our guide to the best beard trimmers as well.

Best for body and pubic hair

At $90, the Manscaped Lawn Mower 4.0 might seem expensive, but it's well worth it if you're searching for the best electric razor for men that's specifically for trimming body hair. The trimmer features SkinSafe technology that prevents you from uncomfortable snags or cuts, while still providing a close shave all over your body, especially below the belt.

Anyone who has trimmed their groin area knows how catastrophic having an unsteady hand or using too much pressure can be. With the Lawn Mower 4.0, it's virtually impossible to make a mistake, and we love Manscaped as a brand so much that the Wedd Wacker is a top pick in our guide to the best nose hair trimmers. After using it a few times very cautiously, I became more comfortable and trusted the SkinSafe technology more. You'd have to reallydig this into your skin to come close to cutting yourself.

The trimmer head is small for accurately trimming in tight areas and comes with four guards, so you can decide how much of your hair you trim. It's also fully waterproof, so you can use it in the shower or rinse it off in the sink without the risk of damage.

Best professional

The Andis Profoil Lithium Plus is one of the best electric shavers you'll most likely find in a barbershop — and for good reason. As a tried and true professional grooming brand, Andis is known for premium qualityandaffordable prices.

As the name suggests, the Profoil Lithium Plus is a foil-style shaver. While it's not the fanciest or most advanced foil shaver design, it gets the job done with two large staggered foils coated in gold titanium and a powerful, long-lasting motor.

The design is lightweight, but can be a bit bulky compared to more expensive at-home shavers. However, the trade-off in ergonomics gives room for a large rechargeable battery with up to 80 minutes of run time. If you're a professional, you can get through many haircuts on a single charge, and if you're exclusively using it on yourself, you can go an impressively long time without charging it.

If you're looking for a multi-functional grooming tool, this isn't the right choice for you. But if you need a strong and dependable razor with one setting for a close shave, you'll find this to be an extremely useful and cost-effective option. I always pay close attention to the barber's tools and have gotten extremely close fades and shaves with the Andis Profoil Plus. And I've gotten equally good results at home during my own testing.

Best for detailed trimming

For some people, their grooming regimen calls for slightly trimming the length of their facial hair and creating sharp lines along the mustache, beard, and neckline.

While several of our favorite electric razors on this list come with a trimming attachment, the Andis Slimline Pro's design is fully dedicated to trimming. As a professional-grade tool, it can outperform any trimmer attachment, and it's simple enough to use at home.

The trimmer has a slim profile and weighs only 4 ounces, making it easy to control and hold in hand. Despite its small size, its single-speed motor delivers an impressive 6,000 cutting strokes per minute. It has four comb guard attachments, a charging stand, blade oil, and a cleaning brush.

I have some facial hair and like maintaining clean lines between trips to the barber. Although I own other electric razors, the Andis Slimline Pro is my tool of choice because of its accuracy. Most trimmer attachments on electric razors for men feel like an afterthought and can be hard to control.

Best heated razor

When you think of electric razors, grooming tools with a motor and an oscillating blade usually come to mind first. The GilletteLabs Heated Razor has neither of those attributes, but it is a razor and is technically electric.

Coming in the form of a more traditional multi-blade razor, it features five blades for a close shave, FlexDisc technology to contour to your face and neck, and, most notably, an Intelligent Heat Control System. A warming bar is located directly underneath the five-blade system that delivers the sensation of a hot towel in every stroke of the blade.

Electric razors FAQs

We talked with professional barber Sydney Shlakman ofHairrari Hair Salon in Brooklyn, New York, about some care and maintenance tips for your grooming tools. Electric razors are not as simple to clean as the best safety razors, but with these tips, they last a very long time.

We've also answered other frequently asked questions about grooming tools.

What is the difference between foil and rotary razors?

• Foil: The foil electric shaver contains oscillating blades that move back and forth at high speeds. These blades are covered with guards that lift hair for cutting and protect the skin. A foil razor will often have a few separate cutting blades that flex independently to match the contours of your face. However, because a foil head has a rectangular shape, it might not match your face as well as a rotary razor.
• Rotary: The rotary razor has round blades that spin. You'll receive protection from the spinning rotary blades with a slotted guard that sits atop the blades and helps to lift the hairs so they're easier to cut. The heads flex in multiple directions, giving you a close shave by hugging the contours of your face. However, rotary heads are more difficult to clean after shaving than foil shavers.

How often should I clean my razor or trimmer?

"You should clean your tools after every use," Shlakman told Insider. "It's important to maintain clean grooming tools to make sure your tools are working properly and do not build up bacteria or rust."

What is the best way to clean grooming tools?

"The best way to clean your grooming tools is by using a barber bristle brush to brush the hair off of your tools and also using a blade cleaning spray," said Shlakman. "I like using Andis Cool Care Plus to clean and lubricate my blades. You want to brush the hair off first and then spray the cleaning spray."

Some shavers, like the Braun Series 7 and Series 9, have a clean and charged base that will clean it automatically. If your device doesn't have a cleaning system, you should remove the blade, brush or rinse out excess hair, sanitize it, and re-oil your blade before the next use.

Why do I need to oil my blade?

Without oil, razors — whether foil, rotary or a combination of both — can generate a lot of friction and heat. When a blade gets hot without proper lubrication, it will underperform and will eventually rust and warp. You won't get as close a shave, you'll be more prone to nicks and cuts, and you'll have to replace your blades more often.

What kind of oil can I use on my blades?

Most electric razors and trimmers come with oil, but should you run out, you can use various oils to keep your blades lubricated. A few drops of olive, coconut, baby, or even your favorite beard oil can get the job done. You'll want to avoid products that definitely don't belong on your face, like motor oil or WD-4o.

Can I use the same electric razor for my face and my body?

While some electric trimmers can adequately be used anywhere, it's recommended that you use separate blades for your face and body. The bacteria on your face thrive in dry areas with oxygen, and bacteria on your groin area thrive in moist environments. Mixing the two using the same blade everywhere may cause irritations and breakouts.

If you already have a grooming tool you like for your face, it's a good idea to buy a separate tool dedicated to body grooming.